Enemies Meet at the Engagement Ceremony

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is said that monsters were prepared for the hunting competition, but that was for the official knight section. Moreover, the monsters prepared are mid-level, not low-level.

 

Yet, a low-level monsters, something that should never appear in the youth division, suddenly showed up.

 

‘They said they cleared out all the low-level monsters…!’

 

Recalling my father’s comforting words meant to reassure my mother, I inwardly screamed.

 

Learning about low-level monsters from books and facing one in person were entirely different matters.

 

Observing the large stag-horned boar with eyes slowly turning, I could understand why it was called a monsters, not a mere beast.

 

‘Monsters instinctively harbor a desire for human blood. Ordinary beasts usually don’t attack humans except when hungry, but monsters are different. They attack humans solely to kill. Even if they starve for days, they would run towards a human farther away than the prey right next to them.’

 

‘Aren’t monsters and humans supposed to inhabit different territories? Just avoid encountering them.’

 

‘Unfortunately, monsters can’t overcome the constant urge to kill humans. Hence, they frequently invade villages or territories.’

 

My mother, explaining about monsters, added that on this continent, monsters were considered humanity’s greatest enemy.

 

Despite the peace in the Lutinas Empire, it still faced the Kratyn Forest, known as the monsters Forest, along its borders. Even in an era without war, nations across the continent invested heavily in knight training, and that was due to the continuous threat posed by monsters.

 

My grandfather, a Swordmaster, would often leave the mansion for extended periods, not returning until he had dealt with monsters. It was explained that he did this to assist smaller kingdoms without the means to deal with monsters, sent by His Majesty for humanitarian reasons.

 

Even my grandfather, who transcended the limits of human power, couldn’t completely handle the monsters threatening the continent. Hence, this was a problem that everyone needed to join forces to solve.

 

It was said that even at this moment, hundreds and thousands of people were dying due to monsters.

 

We, too, were now facing the imminent danger of becoming victims of the monsters.

 

“Come behind me. And from now on, don’t even breathe, and absolutely don’t move.”

 

In the presence of the monster, human social status meant nothing.

 

Even as its eyes shifted, it seemed to sniff around like a madman, not missing even one person.

 

A shiver ran down my spine.

 

Standing in front of that monster, the two legs supporting me subtly trembled. It was a warning sign instinctively signaling that death was right in front of us.

 

“…You’re also in danger, Cherry.”

 

Enoch also stood by my side, holding his sword and taking a stance.

 

Enoch, who claimed to be stronger than me in practical terms, stood by me, thinking to protect me.

 

I wanted to applaud his courageous act, but the tension in Enoch was evident.

 

Although Enoch heard praise like having extraordinary talent and being the promising figure leading Duke Gray’s heyday, it all pertained to the future, not the present.

 

Any praise directed at Enoch was a prediction for the future, not about the current moment.

 

Despite being called a genius destined for greatness, Enoch was merely seven years old.

 

Comparing the current situation to the test that aspiring knights undergo to become official knights, which includes hunting low-level monsters, made it easier to understand.

 

We were in trouble.

 

“Huh, huk…”

 

“Hup.”

 

A whimper filled with fear quietly escaped from behind me. Even that sound soon ceased, as if it was silenced by the command to even restrain my breath.

 

Strangely, that sound awakened my tense mind, much like Enoch’s anxiety.

 

If we couldn’t stop that monsters, it wouldn’t just be the end for Enoch and me. The monster had claimed it needed to kill every human it saw to satisfy its sense of justice.

 

Unlike Enoch and me, who could resist with our learned sword skills, these three young girls would die helplessly without a chance to rebel.

 

‘I need to come to my senses.’

 

My body might be in this state, but my mind was as sharp as South Korea’s proud inspector’s, no, a lunatic. Moreover, the Emblem shone the brightest when protecting the weak.

 

Even if I died here, I had to create an opening for the children to escape from the monster. That was the least I could do to honor the Emblem’s name.

 

I gripped the sword I held tighter.

 

‘Fill with love for the proud Cherrya Emblem.’

 

It was a sword with my dad’s handwriting engraved on it. I was the pride and love of my parents.

 

It would be the same for the parents of the children behind me.

 

Even though I wasn’t a very kind friend, sending their daughter to Emblem as my playmate was quite an act of pride.

 

Nevertheless, the parents’ hope, in sending their daughters with the Emblem, might have been simple.

 

To ensure their daughters were protected in the shadow of the Emblem.

 

As someone entrusted with the duty to respond to their wishes, I had more than they did.

 

“Phew.”

 

Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again.

 

In my mind, I recalled the advice my mother had given me just before participating in the hunting competition.

 

‘I have to be able to see the smallest gaps.’

 

Just as my mother advised, I concentrated with a determination to recall every detail of the large antlered wild boar even with my eyes closed.

 

The massive wild boar, prepared to charge towards us, snorted while lifting its hind legs twice.

 

The monsters planted its hind legs firmly on the ground after the second lift and simultaneously raised both front legs into the air.

 

Then, with a powerful thud, it charged towards us, its massive body splitting the ground each time its front legs hit the earth.

 

Every time the monster’s front paw touched the ground, the soil cracked and caved in. It will come down with that much force.

 

At that moment, the image flowed slowly, slowly, as if in slow motion.

 

The movement of the monster’s thigh muscles, which kicked up its back foot and simultaneously stepped forward with its front foot, was like a wave in my field of vision.

 

“Hup.”

 

Next to me, Enoch’s breath hitched, and with it, I tightened my grip on the sword.

 

‘What’s our Cherrya’s specialty?’

 

Stabbing. I silently answered myself, attempting to recall the stance for stabbing.

 

However, the monster charging towards us was incredibly fast. It would reach us soon.

 

I would be impaled by those antlers before I could even assume the stance. Panic set in, and my mind went blank.

 

I couldn’t remember the preparation stance for stabbing that I had drilled into myself.

 

‘Don’t try to imagine the movements; remember the sensation in your palm from all the countless times you thrust the sword.’

 

Simultaneously, my mother’s words echoed in my mind like lightning.

 

‘Even if your mind turns blank, if you remember that sensation…’

 

I completed the sentence that would follow. Hence, I already knew the answer.

 

I felt a keen sense of my hair being pulled against my cheek and fluttering in the air due to the gust of wind brought by the approaching monster.

 

Even the slightest strand of my hair felt alive, dancing in response to the breeze.

 

‘When you stare at your opponent until the end, your body will move naturally towards the opening you see.’

 

Taking a step towards the monster was not a calculated action.

 

The feeling of being swung again and again, held in my hand and stabbed again and again, was pushing me forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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